New York – September 20, 2023 – AI data platform company VAST Data has named Marianne Budnik chief marketing officer. She will lead all marketing functions including product marketing, field marketing, customer advocacy, communications and public relations, content, creative and brand strategy.
Budnik has led marketing organizations for companies including CrowdStrike, CyberArk and CA Technologies, along with nearly a decade in marketing leadership roles at EMC Corporation.
Budnik will partner with VAST Data co-founder Jeff Denworth, who will maintain his responsibilities leading the company’s product and commercial strategies. Denworth will continue to work closely with VAST’s most strategic customers and partners to realize the promise of AI-powered transformation, and position the company to capitalize on market momentum and achieve its ambitious growth agenda.
Additionally, Stacey Cast has been named vice president of global operations, responsible for VAST’s operational processes that ensure product quality and delivery. Stacey is a seasoned technology executive who most recently served as Senior Vice President of Business Operations at H20.ai, and previously held similar roles at high performing organizations including SentinalOne, Cohesity, Nimble Storage and NetApp.
Budnik, Cast and Denworth each report directly to CEO Renen Hallak.
“I am excited to welcome these talented domain experts to our leadership team to help us expand our market share and execute on our vision,” said Renen Hallak, CEO and co-founder at VAST Data. “With Marianne and Stacey joining our ranks, and with Jeff able to spend more time focusing on our business with customers, we are well positioned for the company’s next stage of growth.”
“I’m honored to join Renen, Jeff and the VAST Data team as the company scales its innovation agenda to power the next wave of AI and high performance computing,” said Marianne Budnik, chief marketing officer.
“I am thrilled to be a part of what VAST Data is building,” said Stacey Cast, vice president of global operations at VAST Data. “This is a unique opportunity and the right timing to build stronger structure and processes for efficiency and scale.”
